Modern electronic devices, particularly end user data terminals such as smart phones, portable computers, personal digital assistants, tablet computers, and the like, are increasingly used to perform functions that require the transfer of data either to or from the device. The data transfers to these devices, from these devices, or to and from these devices sometimes have associated data communications performance requirements. For example, streaming data presentations such as audio presentations, video presentations, or combinations of audio and video presentations, are able to have minimum data transfer speed and maximum data packet transfer latency requirements in order to properly present the streaming data content to the user.
Electronic communications devices are also sometimes able to simultaneously transfer data over multiple data communications networks. In normal operation, these devices often transfer data using one data communications network that is selected based upon user input or that is selected automatically based upon specified user preferences. For example, a device may be able to transfer data over a Wireless Local Access Network (WLAN) interface, such as is defined by international standards including IEEE 802.11 defining, for example, the Wi-Fi® standard, or by cellular data communications networks such as 3rd Generation (3G) or 4th Generation (4G) cellular data communications networks. User preferences may specify that WLAN interfaces are preferred over cellular data communications networks. The reason for this user preference may be the relative costs of these two links. However, reasoning such as cost consideration is usually not explicitly specified or further analyzed in an automated decision process. Given this preference, the device generally will use the WLAN link regardless of that link's performance or reliability.
Therefore, the ability of electronic devices to satisfy data transfer requirements is affected by inefficiently utilizing available data communications links.